The University of Macao has been appointed as Chair of the Research Group of the “Promotion of Macao in the Construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Tourism Education Training Base Alliance” (the Alliance) which is a cooperative effort of three government departments and ten higher education organizations in the MSAR.

Aside from coordinating the reviews of proposals submitted to the Alliance for research grants which would then be endorsed to the Higher Education Bureau (DSES) of the MSAR Government for its decision and approval, the CTIRS also promotes funding opportunities to faculty members of the UM to support their research work. In 2020, several high quality research projects related to tourism development in Macao and the GBA were submitted through the CTIRS which were reviewed and approved by other members in the Alliance and subsequently received research grants from the DSES. 

In the future, the CTIRS intends to facilitate research activities in the tourism and IR areas through the following means:

• Organizing/co-organizing research seminars, workshops and international tourism forums to advance knowledge, particularly in areas that contribute to tourism, IRs, and related hospitality areas in the GBA and beyond;
• Promoting and supporting multidisciplinary research work in tourism, IR and hospitality related areas. Coordinating joint research projects to produce high quality publications (both academic and practical);
• Providing a platform for Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows in the related areas to support their studies and career development;
• Providing support for FBA focused research areas, in particular, ethics, responsibility and sustainability (ERS) principles in tourism and IRs. For example, topics related to sustainable tourism and hospitality, gaming and non-gaming business in IRs, or smart tourism.

Please contact Mr. Jason Tang with related enquiries by email: jasontang@um.edu.mo or phone: (853) 8822-8871.